There is no single more important job or initiative in this company than performance excellence.”

These are the words that Ronald L. Nelson, CEO of Avis Budget Group Inc. (ABG), chose when he addressed an assembly of ABG’s top 70 senior executives, asking them to join him in leading every location, operation, and department down the road to performance excellence.

It's hard to imagine a place more magical than Walt Disney World. The central Florida theme park continues to thrill, delight and exceed its guests' expectations more than 25 years after its opening.

Walt Disney World's recent 25th anniversary celebration provided Quality Digest with a sneak peek behind the scenes. A peek that provided the answer to the secret of Disney's success--one that Disney is now willing to share with outsiders through its new Disney Institute.

Representing the first international effort to formulate a quality management
system standard for the aerospace industry, the two-year-old AS9100 is beginning
to show its long-term value. The standard supplements ISO 9001 by addressing the
additional expectations of the aerospace industry. Already, reports along this
complicated manufacturing chain attest to–among other benefits–AS9100's
contribution to more consistent verification methods and fewer verification
audits.